Today's news -- February 14, 2012

“As roofs sag in old school buildings, air conditioners break, electric panels blow and mold grows in classrooms where students are expected to learn, the maintenance costs keep adding up in this unwinnable game of catch-up for Florida public school districts facing billions of dollars in needed repairs. So what does the Florida Legislature propose to do about it? Nothing substantial. Forget about alleviating this mounting public need or fixing an antiquated funding mechanism that’s shortchanging public schools. Yet public education is the state’s ‘paramount duty,’ as voters made clear when they passed a constitutional amendment in 1998 seeking ‘adequate’ funding for education. A long, drawn-out recession hasn’t helped, but neither have legislators nor Gov. Rick Scott come up with a plan to ensure adequate funding. Instead, the House and Senate are looking to free up $55 million in construction dollars for charter schools operated by private companies, while traditional public school kids are treated like second-class citizens.”-- Miami Herald editorial.

“There is nothing illegal or unethical about ALEC’s work, except that it further demonstrates the pervasive influence of corporate money and right-wing groups on the state legislative process. There is no group with any comparable influence on the left. Lawmakers who eagerly do ALEC’s bidding have much to answer for. Voters have a right to know whether the representatives they elect are actually writing the laws, or whether the job has been outsourced to big corporate interests.”

“There are no limits to state Sen. J.D. Alexander's vendetta against the University of South Florida. It's not enough that the Senate Budget Committee chairman wants the Legislature to arbitrarily grant USF's Lakeland campus its immediate independence. Now his proposed state budget would starve to death the university, an unmistakable threat to anyone who dares to oppose his theft of the branch campus. This is how far Alexander will go to silence his critics and secure his legacy by creating Florida's 12th university at USF Polytechnic. The Senate's proposed budget would cut funding for USF's main campus in Tampa by 58 percent, or $104 million. By comparison, the University of Florida would be cut by 26 percent and Florida State University would be cut by 22 percent, according to a USF analysis. The bull's-eye on USF can be seen from all over Tampa Bay.”

A closely divided state Senate on Monday kept alive a plan to privatize correctional facilities across South Florida, setting the measure up for what is expected to be a tight vote today. By a 21-19 vote, the chamber defeated amendment by Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, that would have blocked the plan, instead requiring state economists to study the potential cost savings of private prisons. The bill-killing amendment failed with the opposition of Sen. Dennis Jones, R-St. Petersburg, who said he still intends to vote against the full bill when it comes up for a final vote on Tuesday, which would place the expected vote tally at 20-20. During more than three and a half hours of floor action, the chamber's leadership proposed a series of amendments intended to pre-empt criticisms of SB 2038. One added by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Destin, would require the successful bidder to reimburse the state for any expenses incurred as a result of accumulated leave paid to departing employees of the Department of Corrections. "If you keep this bill around for another week or two, you might get unanimous consent on it," quipped Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, a critic of the outsourcing plan who supported Fasano's amendment. Latvala said he is still likely to vote against the bill.